TORONTO — Apartment hunting can be a nightmare, as proven by what was possibly the worst apartment rental ad ever which we showed you last week (the landlord wanted to rent out the Toronto gem for $3,100 a month), as well as the horror stories many of you shared with us since.
Here are a few of the worst of the worst apartment hunting experiences from across the country:
The dirty
“Went on a walk-through of a fully functioning crack shack a few weeks ago,” wrote Jenna Ingeberg from B.C.
“Included were: never cleaned floors, holes in the walls, mice, and people everywhere including a gentleman exuberantly ‘fixing’ a door handle with a pair of scissors as we excused ourselves past him. Why even show it, Mr. Homeowner? Your promises of ‘everything will be mint once these guys are out’ mean diddly squat. I just hope all the 30 people living there found other homes.”
READ MORE: Was there a homicide in your home? Website tracks ‘stigmatized’ homes
New meaning to ‘shared accommodations’
“I inquired about a one-bedroom rental once in Edmonton and one of the landlord’s stipulations was that her brother be allowed to crash on the couch one weekend out of every month,” wrote Samantha Hunter from Edmonton. Needless to say, that offer didn’t really fly with her.
Apparently that’s not the only time that’s happened in Edmonton.
“I inquired on a house last winter,” wrote Betsy Larocque, “and the owner stated the same thing. I asked if there was a room specifically for the purpose of him coming back and forth that was on the property with its own private entrance, and he said he would leave a couch in the rec room that was for him to sleep on when he came to Edmonton for three to five days each month. As well as cooking supplies and utensils. That was a ridiculous request for a house renting at $1,750.”
That still might be better than this option, which started out okay:
“My first time looking for an apartment I came across an ad for cheap rent and a not-so-bad location. I booked a viewing and the apartment building was well-kept and maintained. The apartment itself was newly-renovated and spacious,” said Nicole Dixon.
“When I walked into the bedroom I noticed an extra door. I asked the landlord what it was and she said it was a laundry room. I was pretty happy, thinking I had my own in-suite laundry for a cheap price — until she mentioned it was for the whole building. It was a good price and a nice apartment, but I don’t want to wake up to someone folding their laundry at the edge of my bed.”
READ MORE: Ridiculous shared living space listings from across Canada
The weird
“I once was apartment hunting in Victoria and one of the places I went to look at had a dead dog in the living room,” said Airika Owen. “I actually just thought the dog was sleeping, until the landlord pointed out that it had in fact died the day before and he ‘just didn’t know what to do with it.'”
The overpriced
Small spaces
“Worst place for rent I viewed for rent was in Yellowknife,”said Jéan Harold Thurber. “The place I viewed was not even an apartment, let alone a bedroom for rent. The person who had put the rental up had a walk-in closet converted into a ‘one-bedroom unit’ with shared kitchen and laundry. She was asking over $800 a month, plus the total size was about the size of two jail cells side by side and had a cable line running across the floor into the ‘one-bedroom unit.'”
Move-in day surprises
“Worst experience? Apartment hunting in Ottawa,” wrote Lori. “Loved the place…until move-in day. Excited, we put the key in the door of our first apartment, opened [it] to find walls, floors, sink, bathroom — covered with cockroaches! Still get the heebeejeebeez!”
“Where the furniture was pushed up against the walls, the walls were missing, they were rotted out and just not there.”
“Only took one threat to convince the guy to return my deposit and rent, but had to couch surf with a child until I found a place.”
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